


Ghost Ship: Empsykhoun

by KRISTINE667



Category: Ghost Ship (2002)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26553769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KRISTINE667/pseuds/KRISTINE667
Summary: Jack Ferriman returns, back on a mission to collect more souls. Has he met an enemy or an ally in a deaf teenager who can hear only him?(Why: I like greek mythology, I like "cute, clueless and childlike" Jack Ferriman as much as I like demonic Jack Ferriman... the latter of whom we saw for all of 5 minutes, so I gave him a few more minutes. I also recently discovered a new appreciation for writing about those with physical limitations. I'm physically limited, but was never able to write about it until now. So it's kinda new territory for me please be gentle. PS! another new commitment is to not start publishing until the whole thing is more or less written! It should all be up by Tuesday-Wednesday. THANKS I LOVE FEEDBACK! HAVE A GREAT DAY! :)
Kudos: 1





	1. HER GREATEST DESIRE

Ghost Ship: Empsykhoun  
Jack Ferriman returns, back on a mission to collect more souls. Has he met an enemy or an ally in a deaf teenager who can hear only him?  
(Why: I like greek mythology, I like "cute, clueless and childlike" Jack Ferriman as much as I like demonic Jack Ferriman... the latter of whom we saw for all of 5 minutes, so I gave him a few more minutes. I also recently discovered a new appreciation for writing about those with physical limitations. I'm physically limited, but was never able to write about it until now. So it's kinda new territory for me please be gentle. PS! another new commitment is to not start publishing until the whole thing is more or less written! It should all be up by Tuesday-Wednesday. THANKS I LOVE FEEDBACK! HAVE A GREAT DAY! :)

  
"Bodies. A lot of them."  
Leah Kimball's hands stopped in mid-air. She looked contemplative and begin signing again  
"I was under the bodies. I... think my high heel broke and I bent over... And the next thing I remember is, there were bodies. And... something about gold... "  
In the quiet of the church in the small coastal town of Wild Cove, the priest, Father Coleman, nodded.  
"Have you told anyone else?" He signed back.  
Leah shook her head.  
"I'm not psychotic, if that's what your thinking. I didn't kill them. somebody else killed them!"  
"You said you were on a boat. Do you know the name of the boat?"  
"It was big... like the Love Boat... Antonio Graza. I think it was Italian."  
"Oh, an ocean liner?"  
Leah shrugged. "Love Boat-sized. I thought it might be something out of Greek Mythology... it's not in the mythology books."  
"And the dream just stops there? Does it scare you?"  
"I don't... feel afraid... it just stops with bodies falling on me... that's all I remember... "  
"Okay. You really need to talk to your dad and your doctor about this. It's not upsetting you, but it's a pattern dream. You keep having the same dream which is indicative of a present, unresolved... issue... in the real world, and for that reason alone it's worth investigating."  
xxx  
Leah Kimball finished her counseling session with Father  
Coleman, waved goodbye to the maid who was tidying the pews, and the 16-year-old headed out, crossing the lawn, and headed down the street.  
Leah was the daughter of a town doctor and deaf since birth; she was not given a lot of credibility, and in an unincorporated coastal town, without representation at the state level, Wild Cove was on its own. It was somewhat physically isolated as well, the nearest city was 55 miles down the coast, and there were no real resources for the deaf community; even if they were, it would be a very small group; Leah was the only person in Wild Cove who was deaf.  
She was certain her dad might get the wrong idea; that Leah had homicidal tendencies or something, and she didn't want to tell him, now or ever. But, figuring there was no time like the present to get this over with, she went to the hospital, in the hopes of talking to her dad right away.  
She wondered how much she should get her hopes up; occasionally her father could be aloof and inattentive to her needs. He was one of five doctors in their small coastal hamlet, and he had enough patients in a given day. She did her best to respect that but sometimes felt he should quit his job, marry Jenna, who ran the boarding house next to theirs(and who also tutored Leah since age of 10), and the three of them could have a nice family life together.  
Her personal doctor was a different matter; high-spirited and energetic Dr. James Madison always motivated Leah to do her absolute best with what she had, and she was never less than any hearing person around. Certainly, he was more attentive, and Leah could also count on him for a well-intentioned but poorly executed magic trick.  
Leah went to the hospital cafeteria. She figured she might go to the library, but she had already read every book there, and she discovered something about a schooner being pulled into one of the few ports in town. It was a very odd thing about the schooner; It appeared to be damaged from a storm, and only one survivor was found on board.  
So it was either the library, go home and analyze the shit out of more Greek mythology, or go see what all the excitement was concerning this damaged schooner that was called Phantom.  
That name was bizarre enough, and the fact that it had been pulled into a port at Wild Cove of all places, something interesting was bound to result from that.  
She just did not know how interesting things were going to get.  
WHAT'S IN A NAME?  
Dr Kimball looked on carefully as the young man lie in the hospital bed, a fearful look in his opening eyes. He was trembling as well.  
"There... was a storm... am I okay?"  
Dr Brian Kimball stepped back. He held his arms across his chest with the clipboard tucked inside.  
"How do you feel?"  
The young man sighed and rose slowly, with help from Dr Kimball.  
"Thank you," he replied quietly as he rubbed his head "I fell... I think... the Phantom was taking on water... "  
Dr Kimball looked back to the door leading to the hospital hallway. News spread quickly in their small town of 10,000 people, and the town council had arrived to see what was going on. Not there was actually much to see in Wild Cove but certainly this was different. Dr Kimball would have rather it been otherwise.  
He turned back to the young man.  
"What's your name? And what happened out there?"  
The young man looked almost ready to cry. "It was a big storm, like nothing I had ever seen before. Everyone else on the ship... panicked... last thing I remember... " he was becoming frustrated and fell into silence.  
He swung out a leg slowly. Dr Kimball still had to dodge it.  
"I'm not paralyzed!" He exclaimed, feeling better with this realization.  
"You don't appear to be. I ran some tests. Everything checks out normal, you may have passed out from the stress... There was an offshore hurricane and we just got the tail end of that."  
"Right! Big storm!" The young man concluded.  
Dr Kimball nodded again. "What did you say your name was?  
"Oh! It's... Jack... Jack Ferriman... the Phantom is my boat, I'm a tour operator, out of Newfoundland. I owe a debt to your town for saving my life."  
Dr Kimball laughed. "They always say wait until you see the bill."  
"I can imagine that won't be a problem," He replied smoothly.  
XXX  
"She fell? When did this happen?"  
While Jack was getting ready to be released, Dr. Kimball was conversing with a nurse who found a frantic Leah near Radiology.  
Leah immediately signed back. "I didn't fall. I dropped the coffee pot in the cafeteria... I just stumbled."  
"She was grabbing at her ears," the nurse said, "I thought... something bad was happening."  
Leah shook her head firmly. "It was like just... When girls are... startled you know and then grab their head? I'm a girl!"  
Leah knew that was a stupid explanation. She stopped paying attention and looked towards the source of her true situation.  
Because she heard something when in the cafeteria, making her drop the coffee pot and grab her ears in sudden shock.  
Because she heard... for the first time in her life.  
What she heard, was the voice of Jack Ferriman.  
Dad knelt in front of her. "They said you dropped the coffee pot... And you ran up and down the hallways, stopping and starting. As... if you were confused."  
She was trying to ignore him, looking past the hands moving in front of her face and to Jack who was surrounded, some could say smothered, by the town council members.  
"LEAH!" her dad pulled her head to face him "we need to talk about what happened!"  
Leah decided she needed to do just that.  
But then Fran rushed back.  
A member of city council, she was a woman of great physical beauty but with a small soul. She cared about things like posterity, wealth, and the easiest route towards those goals. Right now, the easiest route was Jack Ferriman.  
"Dr Kimball! If I could, I would love to take your daughter with us. You know, me and the rest of the council members are looking into having her on board as an interpreter for the deaf. It would be a great opportunity for her, and for our town!"  
Dr. Brian Kimball smiled. "Leah is the only deaf person in town," He reminded her.  
"Things could change!" Fran said happily then hooked her arm in Leah's arm.  
Leah was already aware of how politics operated, and she was especially disgusted by Fran schmoozing and sucking up whenever and wherever.  
"I don't want to go!" Leah signed desperately.  
Keep an eye on her, Brian told Fran.  
"Oh absolutely! I am going to treat her like she was my own!"  
"DAD! THIS IS BULLSHIT!"  
xxx  
It was a short ride from the hospital to the port, and the only thing that kept Leah from jumping out of the car window, was the sound of a human voice.  
For 16 years there had been nothing at all.  
And now there was a sound of a single voice.  
"It was in the cargo hold. When the hurricane hit, the passengers took the lifeboats and abandoned me... no I cannot remember who brought it on board. I also couldn't tell you how much it's worth. Probably not very much."  
I'm getting better, Leah thought with happiness.  
But that did not seem right; her last test showed no improvement.  
It was just like it always was. A car accident killed her mother and she was born premature, and deaf.  
But something had changed.  
It was a situation that defied medical science.  
Her world was one of silence, now and forever more.  
Except for the voice of Jack Ferriman.  
A note was slipped into her lap. It said ARE YOU OKAY? The note writer was Fran, and that just made Leah roll her eyes. She wrote something back:  
FINE.  
Leah knew, she was schmoozing again. She felt like writing a lot more, but none of it would have been nice.  
"Okay everybody out!" The mayor said as they arrived and parked.  
"You said it was treasure, Mr Ferriman?  
He shrugged. "Some gold bars."  
Jack followed the mayor out of the SUV and looked back as Fran exited vehicle but the girl, Leah, did not. He did take note of Leah in the car, who was now making gagging faces as Fran moved closer to him. Then she held up a note that said FRAN IS A SLUT and pulled it away quickly. It made him grin.  
"Um... it's in the cargo hold, near the stern."  
"Looks mildly damaged, Jack. By the way I don't think we've been probably introduced. I'm John, this is Jane my lovely wife!"  
And they both smiled at the same time. With the port as background, they almost looked like a postcard.  
The mayor nodded. "You'll be taken care of, Jack. Now show us the cargo hold, good boy!"  
Leah finally gotten out of the car to watch, as the mayor approached the steps that led down to the cargo hold and went into the darkness with a flashlight. As soon as Jack noticed her, he waved, and then came to the edge of the boat.  
"Do you know anything about gold? I mean I know it's expensive but... "  
She feigned confusion. He shook his head, realizing that she couldn't hear, and he didn't know sign language. He just smiled apologetically and moved off.  
Leah wanted him to come back, and she wanted to tell him, or anyone who would listen, that she could hear him!  
And only him.  
All right this was not scientific at all. She sat down on a bench made of tires, her back to the boat, listening carefully for anything else. She turned back to see the mayor rush back up the stairs, a bar of gold in his hands.  
"It's yours if you want to take it of your own free will. I might like some to fix my boat, But money is not that important to me. If there is enough to help your community, then please take the gold as a token of my gratitude for saving my life."  
There were cheers and screams all around. Leah just watched.  
Jack came back to her with a notepad.  
"They seem incredibly happy. I guess it's worth enough to them?"  
She took a casual glance at his notepad, played her part and shrugged.  
Fran sprinted over to them. "Worth nothing, my God! We could build a whole new town with that money! Jack, I love you! Hey, maybe me and you can go to dinner together? I am the town treasurer you know, And I'll make sure we work out a good deal for all of us."  
Leah saw nothing except the woman's lips flapping. She could have concentrated on what Fran was saying but she honestly did not care about Fran. which was easy enough because Fran did not care about anybody but herself and her posterity and her future wealth, that she apparently just found.  
"Oh, I'm sure," Jack said.  
His words alone, loud and clear. "we can come up with something that will satisfy both of us."  
Leah scribbled out one note for Jack and held it up.  
It read "gold is stupid."  
XXX  
It was after dark when they all finally gathered for dinner at Jenna's boarding house next door to where Leah and her father lived. Jack was there as she expected (why Fran hadn't folded him up and stuffed him in her handbag by now, Leah just didn't know!)and Leah found it disappointing.  
Hearing, anything at all was not unwanted, that was for sure. Unexpected? A thousand times yes.  
She did kind of lose it at the hospital, dropping the coffee pot and slamming her hands over her ears.  
Leah was permanently deaf. She was never expected to hear anything in her entire life.  
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, she did.  
But it was only one voice.  
One voice with perfect clarity and understanding and nothing else could she hear.  
Maybe the rest will come back... well, come? If she was beginning to hear one voice, then certainly more voices were sure to follow.  
Right?  
It was not a big gathering this evening, the only boarder for the week was Jack Ferriman. Of course, the town council had to drop in to see how he was doing, and also to make sure the fortune he gave them, and they took of their own free will, was safe.  
There were a couple police officers, sworn to silence, but not told why, stationed at the port and making sure the boat was secure. The gold would be moved when the time and place of its investment could be properly secured. Jack had no issues, was indeed happy to give away most of it, and just keep a bar or two for himself so that he could fix the Phantom.  
Even before the front door was opened, she could hear Jack's voice.  
"Mutual funds? I don't know much about that," he laughed then another minute or two of silence and he said, "well I guess you could hire a truck to have the gold transported to the nearest banking institution... I agree. Need to know. But the fact that the gold has no serial numbers... then it is really yours as long as you take it of your own free will. I probably owe you a lot more than that. The human soul is priceless."  
Leah stood closer to her father and listened carefully as he spoke to a couple people.  
Nothing.  
She made her way around the room carefully, getting as close as she could to everyone who was speaking.  
To say that she was not getting frustrated at this point would be an understatement. She didn't bother getting near Jack.  
She really had heard more than enough from him.  
She wanted to hear something from somebody else.  
Anybody else!  
Then she watched as Fran waved Jack over, excited and happy and again her lips were just flapping as she hung next to him, and the aura of "gold digging bitch" was not lost on Leah.  
I hate that woman. Okay I hope to hear anything else but her!  
Leah went to the kitchen and offered help to Jenna. She looked mildly puzzled when Leah insisted, she speak out loud while signing.  
At dinner it was no better; there was no sound at all, except for when Jack spoke, and that was becoming annoying. Leah looked carefully from one face to the other. Her glance moved very quickly past Fran, who was laying it on so thick with Jack that Leah figured she might be moments away from vomiting.  
"I knew someone named Fran. She didn't speak any English!"  
Leah dropped the fork into her plate, shoved her chair back and got up, then she stormed to the door with a harsh glance at Jack and then left, slamming the door behind her.  
The room was silent for a couple of moments before Dr. Kimball spoke. "She had a long day, and apparently she was left alone at one point," He stated with a cursory glance at Fran.  
Fran just gritted her teeth. "With all due respect, Dr Kimball, I'm not a babysitter."  
"Kind of not the point," Dr Kimball said "never mind. I'm sorry Fran."  
The mayor's straightened up in his chair and wiped his mouth. "Well now that that it's all settled, let's get back to the important issue at hand: how do we secure our new fortune... Jack's Fortune... that he was kind enough to bestow on Wild Cove?"  
At that moment music began to blare from the house next door.  
The one where Leah and her father lived.  
"I like opera," Dr Kimball admitted as he recognized the main theme from the Mikado.  
A few seconds passed, a minute past, and it was clear the music was not stopping.  
"I'm definitely not fond of opera," John said "and I'm definitely not fond of... " He tried but his rage could not be subdued at this point, and with a tight smile he told Dr Kimball "Tell her to turn it down now!"  
"I'll take care of it!" Dr Kimball nodded to Father Coleman. "Care to go along?"  
The priest stood up. "Jenna! Your dinner is lovely as always. Guaranteed, I will be back for seconds!"  
John and Jane both look disgusted. "He really does coddle that child too much," Jane said.  
"She can't hear anything?" Jack asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.  
"She really just needs to deal with it," Fran said.  
WHAM!  
Something struck the front door of the boarding house, as the opera continued. The priest came back in quickly. "Think Dr Kimball forgot the keys to the front door. Please remain seated everyone! Don't go anywhere!"  
Jenna scrambled about, as the priest helped her look.  
Fran jumped up suddenly. "I can't take this racket... and she better not hit my Porsche!"  
"Paid for by the city!" The mayor reminded her. He strode over to Jack and put out his hand. "Perhaps we can discuss further business at City Hall. Sometime tomorrow?"  
"Sure... the... dinner was very nice... uh... let me help?" Jack said to Jenna.  
"No forget it. She took the keys and locked herself inside the house."  
"Oh... wow. She's upset because she can't hear?"  
Jenna nodded sadly.  
Objects continued to be lobbed from the second story window of Leah's house.  
The priest ran quickly to a shed on the side of the boarding house, then came back with a slim jim in the hopes of getting a window open.  
The council members were departing, first John and Jane, and then the mayor, all three making their way quickly to their cars John was not quick enough however and was hit in the ass by a plastic doll.  
Leah stood at the window, looking down at the crowd below, her face a mixture of satisfaction and frustration. As Fran exited, with Jack beside her Leah looked even angrier.  
"I think now is a good time that child had her medication adjusted!"  
"I wouldn't know anything about that," Jack told her "I'll help you get to your car."  
At that point, Leah suddenly disappeared, and a glass object in the upstairs room was smashed. Then Leah appeared back at the window, hands close together and a dark object was wrapped around them.  
Her hands snapped apart and a moment later, Jack was struck in the chest by a large rubber band.  
"Oh my God!" Fran shouted.  
"I think I'm okay," he said as he pulled the rubber band from his coat pocket.  
"That is not the point! Dr Kimball will you please control your child!?"  
With the help of the priest, Brian Kimball managed to make it inside the house.  
A few chairs and tables were overturned. Dr Kimball made his way to the stereo and turned it down.  
"Brian when you said she was not having a good day you were not kidding," Father Coleman noted.  
"I have no idea where this outburst came from," Dr Kimball said glumly "I just can't even comprehend why... "  
He stopped talking, and both made their way up the stairs to Leah's room.  
She was sitting in an armchair, and alarm clock held up to her ear and she was deep in concentration.  
"What the hell happened, Leah?!"  
She pulled the clock in front of her face looked at it with severe disappointment and then tossed it into the closet.  
"Talk to me," she signed, then held both hands up.  
"Out loud!"  
Her father looked at the priest who just shrugged. "Well indulge her... just talk out loud."  
"Shouldn't I be demanding an explanation from her!?"  
Leah jumped up and went over to him. She pressed two fingers to her his throat.  
He was really and truly talking out loud and she could not hear a thing!  
"I can't hear you!" She signed, tears beginning to stream down her face.  
"Another test," he signed back. Leah I don't think it will change anything but- "  
No you don't understand! I can't hear you! I can hear him but I can't hear you!"  
Leah caved to her frustration, collapsed in the armchair, crying.  
"Who is 'him'?" The priest signed.  
Leah gave him a disgusted look.  
"Do not patronize me."  
Brian pulled out his phone then stepped into the hallway, leaving a message for Leah's doctor.  
"I'm not patronizing you, Leah. Whose voice do you hear?"  
She held up a hand and spelled out Y, then stopped.  
Was there bad karma if you lied to a priest?  
She looked away, then looked back. And spelled out with both hands:  
"It was Jack Ferriman."  
XXX  
It was a crappy day to be Leah Kimball. She was in a lot of trouble for her meltdown from the night before. To start off what she was sure would be the most miserable day of her entire existence, was to apologize to the town council, and especially to Fran because she did end up hitting Fran's Porsche and knocking the side view mirror loose.  
"Well we all have bad days," the councilwoman explained "I don't think it's something that should be held against her with impunity. Well more or less. I mean. If she would like to work off the debt, then Jack could probably use some help with his boat."  
"Dumbest idea ever," Leah signed to her father. The idea of having to spend the day with Fran was making her nauseous. The only reason she agreed to it was that she wanted to get to a point where she would go back to being mostly unnoticed, and able to do research on Greek mythology and music theory.  
She figured at some point in the future, she might become a teacher.  
However, there was far too much excitement in the last 24 hours and she was worn out.  
Leah was convinced; Fran was a whore. Why would anyone else wear a top cut that low, and a skirt that came down just below her thighs, and hugged her skin so tightly it might eventually end up inside of her, not to mention all her jewelry accessories and her very expensive perfume, on a boat?  
The good thing was, Fran didn't stay any longer than it took to make romantic advances toward Jack. He didn't seem to mind but Leah wished he would have. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and was extremely non-angered by what happened the night before. Leah figured he could do better but whatever. Fran promised to return later in the day, and that made Leah wonder how she could 'accidentally' pushed the woman off the boat into the water.  
There was not much to do except to take ships' inventory and help calculate the proper price of the gold in the cargo hold. Since Leah was well enough at numbers and since she was indebted due to her actions of the previous night, she set to work.  
During this time, she had an inspiring moment. She was not aware of any consequence, nor did she perceive of any as being a possibility. But her dilemma as to what got her in this position, well she just needed to get it off her chest.  
As she passed by Jack, she held up a note.  
"I hear you. Nothing else. I want to hear something else. Sorry I hit you last night."  
and the next note.  
"You have a nice voice."  
Leah immediately got back to work, and Jack made her stop. He seemed both amused and puzzled. Using both hands, he motioned to his head.  
"With your... ears?"  
Leah rolled her eyes and moved off again.  
"No, wait," he went after her carefully "I'm sorry. Help me out? I don't know anything about being deaf. You're not... all-the-way deaf?"  
She wrote another note, in shakier script.  
"I was until you got into town!"  
"Oh... wow. You only hear me?"  
She nodded.  
He smiled kindly, then remained in a thoughtful silence for another couple moments and she went back to her work.  
"That looks fine!" and he pulled the broom out of her hands, then took her hand and pulled her around to the side facing the water, out of sight of anyone else. "Sit!" he pointed to a wooden bench and then took a position at the other end of the bench  
"Ok... " he put one hand on his knee and rested his chin in his other hand and looked down at the deck, again in deep thought.  
"Leah... What if I told you... That I could make you hear... and speak... anything at all?"  
She held up a note that read, "doctor?"  
"I run my tourist business. But I'm talented in other areas."  
"Magician!" she wrote with a smirk on her face.  
"No," he laughed "not that glamorous. Just... gifted."  
Leah shrugged, looked out at the water. He was a nice guy, rather generous, but surely a little crazy.  
"Well first I want to clear up a couple things. Number one, you're forgiven. I understand that you are frustrated. If I was you I would be frustrated too. Number two... you need to keep it to yourself... I mean if the deaf girl suddenly hears, and everyone knows about it, it's probably going to bring unwanted attention. I'm not much into getting attention and I doubt that you are."  
Leah glared at him. The crazy guy was being serious. How dare he! She wrote another note, Now she was furious.  
"YOU'RE INSANE!"  
He took the note, laughed and threw it overboard. Then he went to her and gently put his hands on her shoulders  
"The only thing... is that you must want it of your own free will."  
Tears came to her eyes and she furtively brushed them away. She pushed him away and set about writing a final note, after which, she figured she'd push him overboard.  
"If the town council wants your gold they can have it. I don't want your gold! I just want to hear!"  
He slowly moved his hands up, over her ears, and covered them.  
"Alright," he smiled big.  
Leah shut her eyes fast, fear overtaking her, as a low humming could be heard. Jack moved away, taking his place on the bench, hands squeezed together in his lap and looking at her nervously. The humming was now gone.  
"Leah... did it work?"  
She opened her eyes, lowered her trembling hands from her head and discovered there was something new all around her. It took her a few more moments to realize  
"I... can... hear!"  
~to be continued~


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leah owes Jack everything, and more than she knows. Maureen arrives.

Leah stood up, then quickly sat back down.  
"This is kind of new for me," Jack admitted. He reached out and took her hand "Leah... what's it like?"

The water sloshing against the boat, people in the distance, somewhere up above sitting on the mast a pigeon cooed. Leah felt amazingly tiny; her world had gotten so much bigger!  
"Intense... scary... _I can hear everything_!" She was weeping, half from excitement, half from some noises that she found irksome.

Then she realized it was her own voice that said that.

Jack looked elated, however. "Don't move! Wait here!"  
He ran off, then returned with a bottle of water.  
"Here, go easy... I know it must be weird- "  
"No!" she cut him of "you don't know!" she whispered. She took the water from him.  
"Yeh," he agreed "I just wish I could have... you know, eased you into it."

Leah went to stand at the edge of the boat and looked down into the water.

"Fran called. she's coming to pick you up and take you back to town hall and then your father is going to come get you."

"Fran the biggest slut ever... oh, Jack!" Leah impulsively hugged him. "I can hear... and talk!" she whispered, " _Jack I owe you everything_!"  
"Your happiness is more than enough payment, fair maiden. Remember, not a word. To anyone. Please!"  
Leah began to speak, then nodded. Her own voice sounded weird and she wondered how long it would take to get used to it.

She took the water and began to head off then turned back.  
"Stay away from Fran. She's a tramp and you deserve better. She'll make it with any guy that moves and especially if they have money."

"Noted. Leah do not react to anything you hear! Please, I just want to fix my boat and get the gold off my hands. This will make you stand out; this will make me stand out. That's not a good thing."

"Right," she remembered to sign and then headed off, nearly running into Father Coleman on her way out. She made a hasty apology and ran off to meet Fran.

The priest took note of the fact that Leah looked incredibly happy. He could not help but wonder why.

"Mr Ferriman, are you around?" He waved. Can I have a word with you?"

Jack stepped out from behind the Captain's cabin and he was holding a broom.  
"Right here, do you want to come aboard? "  
Father Coleman took the opportunity to do so, and he took careful notice of Jack. There was a mystery in play, and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.  
"You were at dinner last night. At Jenna's boarding house. It's a nice place!"  
"Indeed. It's a pleasure to meet you again. was that Leah I saw?"  
Jack nodded. "She was working off a debt . For last night."  
"Of course," Father Coleman remembered.  
There was a mildly uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, then Jack spoke; "I think she has good janitorial skills... I mean there was the issue about hitting me, but it was OK. I understood. I think her debt is paid in full."  
"That is very generous of you. Actually, I came by to talk to you about something else. It's about the gold that you gave the City Council. A remarkable gift! There is talk of building a new town!"  
"Do you want some?" Jack asked eagerly "there is a lot there… I guess you could use it for your church."  
Father Coleman and was momentarily caught off guard. it seemed unusual that should be the first question he asked .  
"Um… thank you kindly Jack, but no… the Lord will provide!"

x-x-x  
LATE THAT NIGHT BACK AT THE CHURCH

Father Coleman's mind was drawn back to the gold. There was something about it, not just that it was most likely stolen.  
So, he did an equation in his head.  
It went something like this  
Leah Kimball-dreams of a massacre, Antonio Graza, hears voice of Jack Ferriman.  
Jack Ferriman-shipwrecked tour operator has a lot of gold.

There was still something missing. So, he went online, found nothing for Jack Ferriman and turned his attention to Antonio Graza.  
The internet search produced 1,000 results.  
Then he put on coffee.  
It was going to be a long night.

x-x-x

Leah could not sleep. The dream felt more intense than in previous days. They always stopped at that one point, where the bodies fell. They went no further.  
And there was gold, lots and lots of gold.

She wondered if there might be something coincidental with the arrival of a stranger at Wild Cove, who bore around 400 million dollars in gold bricks.

In her mind she kept blowing off this coincidence, the first reason being that Jack was a nice guy. Even a miracle worker. She decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and dig too deep on how he restored her hearing when medical science was unable to do that. Maybe he was a magician. She didn't care much. It was a gift he freely offered and that she freely accepted.  
The second reason being, it was not really Jack's gold, but the gold of his passengers, forever lost at sea.

That night, the music was loud again but for an entirely different reason than the previous evening.

Her studies in music theory were nothing like the real experience of hearing music.  
So, while her father was working night shift, and remained on call for the next few days, she was currently going through her father's music collection. That was about 300 CDs in total.  
She was on album number 295 when there was a knock at the back door.

"Jack! Come in!"  
Well, I just stopped by to return your book, you forgot it on the boat." And he held up the copy of "A to Z dictionary of Greek mythology."  
"Leah, is something wrong?"

_Fair maiden... why did he call me that... it seems... familiar..._

Leah shook off the uneasy feeling. "I'm ok. You want to come in?"  
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She always kept it on her , and in vibration mode, for those who needed to get in contact with her. In this case it was Jenna.  
"Wait in the kitchen!" She instructed then went to the front door.

Jenna stood on the porch. She did not look happy at all.  
"The music, Leah!" The boarding house matron instructed firmly in sign language.

Leah nodded enthusiastically "I will never play another song again if you just say that out loud," Leah responded, a hopeful look in her eyes.

"You need to turn it down!" She demanded as she formed all the letters quickly with her hands at the same time.

Leah smiled gratefully, turned off the stereo, and said goodnight to Jenna.

She went back to the kitchen quickly. Jack was sitting passively at the kitchen table.  
"Can I have something to eat?" he asked quietly.  
She pointed to the refrigerator. "I want to show you something."  
She left the room, went upstairs, and got her bag and came back to the kitchen.

Jack was already in the middle of preparing a meal. "Maybe this was too forward of me. Jenna seemed busy and I didn't want to impose, but I went and did it anyway, didn't I? So instead I'll make something for you."

"They want your gold! Fran, John and Jane, the mayor. I had to stay longer than I wanted to my dad was running late. They had their town council meeting, and they made me turn my back because I read lips very well... I did... but, you know!"

"It must have been thrilling!" he surmised as He cut the tomatoes for sandwiches.  
"They plan to rob you blind! They're not planning to leave you so much as even one gold brick. There was an idea that they could somehow frame you for 'stealing it' "

She held up a notebook. "I wrote down every single slimy word they said. Look!"  
Jack held up the mustard. "You want this on your sandwich?"  
"Jack, it's important!" she exclaimed.  
"Ok!" and with that, he began to dress the sandwich "light or heavy?"  
"That's not what I… oh, arg!" and she handed him her notebook and continued the task of preparing the salami as Jack shrugged, sat down at the at the table and began to read.

At one point he giggled.  
"Fran really said that about me?"  
"Jack!"  
"That's not even appropriate to write, much less read!" He chuckled.

Leah was shocked. "Don't you even care?"  
He was still grinning, but then got serious. "Not really. I gave them the gold, they took it of their own free will... there are more important things than gold, Leah. I think you know that."

x-x-x  
At around 2:00 a.m., the hard work of Father Coleman appeared to be paying off, details being found in a very obscure letter to the editor from a psychiatrist seeking to unravel and age-old mystery regarding the ocean liner called Antonio Graza, and the claims of a psychiatric patient called Maureen Epps, who claimed that she had found the derelict vessel, alongside the rest of her crew from the salvage tugboat called the Arctic Warrior. Her crew was ultimately lost, all five having been massacred one by one, by what she called a soul collector. She claimed that many had been led out there, since the Antonio Graza vanished in 1962. Ms. Epps claimed the primary objective of the soul collector was to lead out salvage team after salvage team, with each one fixing the lost ocean liner, and keeping it afloat, in perpetuity. With unkept promises of a fortune in gold bricks, He would massacre them one by one, claiming their souls for hell.

After that mind-blowing story, Father Coleman began a search for Maureen Epps. He was finally able to track down 10 emails, the most promising one seemed to be 'meppsAW6' and decided to email each one individually.

The email read as such:

I hope my correspondence is not received as anything but the most passionate inquiry on my part. I have been providing therapeutic services for a young girl with a reoccurring dream, that she has been a passenger on the Antonio Graza at the same time of a massacre taking place.  
Gold seems to be at the center of the dreams, but she is unsure how it connects. She is not bothered by it but I am, especially in regards to a stranger having been marooned on a schooner ship, and offering to give a reward to his rescuers, in the form of three crates of gold bricks he claims were left behind by a passenger who abandoned him during a hurricane.  
I am not trying to pry into your business. But if I could seek your assistance in how to help my charge It is deeply appreciated. If the enclosed information is true I have reason to believe she is in danger.

If you are not the Maureen Epps in question, please disregard this email.  
If you are, I have enclosed my contact information. I look forward to hearing from you,  
Father R. Coleman

xxx

"Old souls, Leah. What do you think of the idea?" Jack asked her, on his way out the door.

Silently, she followed him down the path that led to the port. It was dark now, the full moon hung in the sky above. The fog was starting to roll in. It was supposed to be very thick for the next night or two.

"It's in your book!" he remarked, then turned to face her.

She remained silent, unsure what he was getting at, but it was giving her a funny feeling in her stomach.

"Do you believe what your book says? That souls who have met in the past are destined to meet again?"  
He waited a moment for an answer. She looked nonplussed.  
"Come on, Leah!" he encouraged "you're the one into Greek mythology."

"Yeah! Key word, mythology! I just... like it," she shrugged even though it always felt so much more important than that... like it was her destiny or something.

"Come with me, Leah. I'm leaving tomorrow night... I mean it's what I said earlier. You can't have a normal life here. How long do you think you can keep the secret that you can now hear and talk? Or, are you actually okay with that? I mean, if you stay here, you will have to stay deaf... and you could have so much more," he cocked his head, looking at her curiously "wouldn't you want it?"

Her face got hot and her stomach tightened to a hard knot. "Okay, that's weird!" Leah turned to go.

Jack was horrified at his poor choice of words. "Oh God! Leah! That is not what I meant! Oh, shit, that was dumb! Leah, I don't want you to think that!"

"Think what?"

He frowned, with a look of embarrassment. "I don't want you to think I'd do to you what Fran wants to do to me."

"Good to know!"

"I was just wondering about what the book said. I think it has a lot of validity."

She frowned. "Oh... on... anything in particular?"

"Yeh... fate. Controls destiny. It was fate that I become shipwrecked in Wild Cove, so that I could show you your destiny."

She realized how different he sounded from the moment she first met him. Once quiet and shy, he sounded much more reassured, almost hypnotic.

She felt he was right, somehow. She heard him when she could hear no one and nothing else. And no one was able to do what he did.

She shrugged. "Jack, I don't know how much I believe in destiny, but if I did then I'd have to say you are part of it."

"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.  
He looked towards the docks.  
"I'll be leaving late tomorrow. Around midnight."

"Wait!" she ran after him. "you don't want to sail in fog!"

"No I don't, but I have to. That's my destiny."  
She suddenly felt bad for him. He seemed so alone.

She stopped as they arrived at the fork in the path. "At midnight. No later right?"  
Jack moved to the left and continued on.

"Not one minute later." His voice began to fade as he moved off. "I set sail at midnight. Destiny! What is Leah Kimball's destiny? It's something to think about isn't it?"

x-x-x

Father Coleman never got an email. He never got a phone call.  
He did get something at the break of dawn. A very irate woman with shoulder length curly black hair, wearing a brown leather coat, blue jeans and ankle high boots.

With his morning coffee hovering in midair, His other hand, resting on the door frame, begin to tremble.  
"I take it, you are Maureen Epps?"

She entered the building with purpose. Her eyes moved slowly over the chapel. Father Coleman watched carefully. She was as physically intimidating as her emotional demeanor. He figured she must work out a lot.  
"The current mood in the room is telling me a lot about you. more than ever I am convinced getting in contact with you was the right thing to do."

"Was it? I'm not happy to learn that my privacy was invaded, and my patient confidentiality jeopardized by a tabloid newspaper!"  
Maureen tried to smile apologetically but was unable to do so.  
"You hooked me with your detailed descriptions regarding the Antonio Graza and related tragic events on that ship. I know that ship... too well."

"I can only imagine," he replied with a quiet respect.

"You mentioned a young girl? Tell me about her now!"

"Her... name is Leah Kimball. 16 years old. Father is a doctor in town. She's deaf."

Maureen sat down in the pew. It was not Katie, as she had hoped it would be. Then she remembered, Katie's soul had gone to heaven after saving Maureen's life.

She raised her eyes and looked at Father Coleman hard.  
"I'd like to meet her... but I would like to meet her here... just the three of us."

She was quiet for a few moments.

"I don't want the stranger to know I'm here."

It took about another hour for Leah to show up. She had spent another restless night, struggling with a dream she couldn't understand, and consumed by thoughts of fate and destiny.

"I've been worried about you Leah," Father Coleman began.  
Leah purposely remained distracted and looked around at everything else. He got a little closer and waved his hand in front of her face. She had to remind herself, that she was deaf.

She held up a note to the strange woman. She found herself damn annoyed with notes now, and her script was barely legible.  
"WHO ARE YOU?"

Maureen looked at Father Coleman.  
"Just look right at her," He encouraged.

"My name is Maureen. Father Coleman called me because... because of the dreams Leah. I've... had similar dreams."

Father Coleman nodded in agreement  
"Me and Maureen, we are friends from some years back."

Leah immediately dropped her head and began coughing, but it was only an attempt to keep from screaming out loud. She knew she was being lied to.  
She held up another hastily written note.  
"HEAD COLD" It said.

Leah sat back up and signed "I have to go home."

"Leah, don't go near Jack Ferriman," Maureen ordered "you seem like a nice kid... and he hurts kids."

"Oh, please tell me you're joking!" The priest exclaimed.

Leah glared at her and held up one more note.  
"MRI TOMORROW. HATE THE TUBE OF DOOM."  
She left quickly. Father Coleman was stunned.  
"That was intense!" Maureen remarked.  
"He hurts kids?!"  
"There was one on board the Antonio Graza. I thought you were talking about her at first but... there is nothing I can do for you. I'm sorry."

She turned to go, and the priest moved after her.  
"Miss... please! I told that bastard that she could hear him. If something happens to her... then it's my fault... there's nothing you can do?"

She stopped at the door and turned back. "Who did he give the gold to? Leah?"

At least he was getting somewhere. He hoped that at the end of the day he would be fully absolved for telling Jack what he did.

"Town council... They received Jack's generous gift with open arms."  
She looked incredibly sad.  
"I'm guessing it wasn't that generous?"

x-x-x

"It was a murder-suicide Reverend. All for them. Just went crazy. Screaming about the gold. I guess Fran was the last to go. We're trying to keep this as quiet as possible."

"That's understandable," Father Coleman said, though it was obvious he was in shock. He and Maureen sat there and watched the officer move off.

Maureen poked him.  
"Go check their hands?"  
"I wouldn't even begin to understand the point of that!"  
Well I can't do it. I'm the new girl in town. You are the priest. Go absolve the dead!"

He got out of the car then turned back.  
"What am I looking for?"

Maureen looked at him steadily.  
"You'll know it when you see it."

"Right," then he moved over past the ambulances, to the coroners' vans.

"I'm Father Coleman... I would like to perform my duties as a man of the cloth and give these poor souls their absolution."

They politely step aside, as he moved from one stretcher to the next.

"May you be at peace in the afterlife"  
And he pulled back John's hands to reveal one of them had a burned image of a hook.  
Then he moved to Jane.  
"in the comforting hands of our father who art in heaven"  
Another burned image of a hook.

He didn't feel like continuing. He knew what the other hands would hold.  
"rest in eternal peace"  
It was indeed the same with the mayor and Fran.

"Thank you," Father Coleman muttered and moved quickly back to the car.

He slammed the car door.  
"What the hell was that all about?"  
"You found something?"

Father Coleman's face revealed the shock of his brutal discovery.  
"Their hands were... burned... fresh too... did Jack do that?"

She shrugged. "He tempts people with gold, so they fall into sin. Then he kills them, marks them... by burning their hands... and he claims their souls for hell."

"So... he's a demon?"  
"I've been doing a lot of thinking, but I have no answers as to why your Leah was having dreams about the Antonio Graza... but that ship... he killed everybody on it. A thousand people? Including a little girl... and he killed my whole family… and I don't know what to try that I haven't tried before... to stop him... I blew up the Antonio Graza so he couldn't use it to lure more souls... I thought he was dead, but I saw him again after that and when I told people... I took a nice vacation at the funny farm."

She looked straight ahead as the police wrapped up their business.  
"I thought I should make it my life goal to go after him... then I figured it would be enough if I never saw him again... "

"Leah... She's not a bad kid... She's like any teenager... And I don't want to see her get hurt."

"It may be too late for that," Maureen told him.

~TO BE CONTINUED~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack Ferriman brings out the worst in people.  
> The Big Reveal

THAT MORNING.

Maureen, last survivor of the Arctic Warrior, sat on the bench near the park that had much green grass, a playground, and a carousel, and she contemplated the things that were occurring, the things that she was forced to go through again.

She decided as soon as Father Coleman got back from his missionary sojourn to a rest home, then she would have to tell him she was leaving Wild Cove.

Maybe first she would take a carousel ride, try to remember happier memories? Maybe imagine a world she did not live in now. Her family was still with her and maybe even they rode the carousel. It was a delight to imagine Dodge and Munder playing rock-paper-scissors for seating on a bench or a horse.

Too many maybes. She was alone now, no family, and an empty, almost dead heart, And now a more horrifying present time. Jack was still around, murdering people, claiming their souls, and preying on a vulnerable disabled teenager.

And there wasn't anything she could do about it.

Getting up from the bench, she went down the sloping path to the snack bar, ordering a coffee, and a fruit roll. but was unable to afford the fruit roll. She dug in her change and looked around carefully, hoping that no one else in line was becoming impatient by the fact that she was so slow.

She also noticed that Leah was in line behind her. The girl smiled and waved.

Maureen turned away quickly and completed her purchase of the coffee. She then returned to the park bench, formulating in her mind, how she was going to tell Father Coleman she was leaving immediately... or when the next bus left town, whichever came first.

She was disappointed to find Leah following her up the path and taking a place on bench behind her.

Already, it was giving her bad vibes.

She was a little surprised as a hand came over, bending backwards, a fruit roll resting in the palm.

The omens were getting worse. She gently pushed the hand back.

The bench trembled a little bit as Leah shifted around, leaned on the back, and put her head in her hand. She held up a note.

You don't like me.

Maureen took both her hands, pulling them down roughly and looking at them. Leah jerked away from her, giving her a disgusted look. She wrote and held up another note.

calling the police for assaulting me!

Then she crumpled it up, threw it at Maureen, who knocked it away. It was clear to her, that while Leah was unmarked, Jack had gotten to her anyway.

There was nothing she could do about it.

Leah moved off her bench and joined Maureen on her bench. She smiled and held up the fruit roll and Maureen mouthed, NO.

It was Leah's turn to shrug. She settled back onto the bench and took out her phone and began fiddling with it. Then she put it away.

"You're wrong."

Maureen was shocked. Had the deaf girl just spoken, with complete clarity?

"You're wrong. You and Father Coleman don’t know shit."

"You can hear?"

Leah grinned. "I hear a lot of things... some of it I don't like... but... I hear regardless." She faced forward not looking at Maureen.

"He made me hear."

"Your heart's desire," Maureen surmised "Leah, he's not as altruistic as you might think."

Leah snorted in contempt, took back the discarded fruit roll and began eating it.

"It was a free gift!"

Maureen continued to stare at her.

"I'm begging you. For the sake of your family, for the sake of yourself, stay away from Jack Ferriman!"

"Irritating noises! Your voice just got added to my list!” Leah continued, obviously not caring about anything Maureen had to say.

Dropping the empty wrapper on the ground, less than half a foot from the garbage can, she said, "I guess we're done here."

Then she moved off, jogging towards the carousel.

It was against her better judgment, but Maureen went after Leah anyway. The ride was free, so she did not have to worry about purchasing a ticket. It was getting harder to control her anger, even her grief.

She took a seat on a colorful snail-shaped bench as Leah climbed onto a plastic horse.

"Stalking, physical abuse. Maureen do you have a record? If not, you are this close to getting one!"

"I'm telling Father Coleman," Maureen said, even though it sounded childish "I'm telling him that you can hear and speak. He asked me to help you, but I didn't believe I could then. I especially do not believe it now... do yourself a favor... let your family help you! I'd want my family to help me, but Jack killed them!"

Leah giggled. "Oh, God! That is a hell of a story, Maureen!"

She put her hands on the pole coming up through the horse's neck.

"Humm, something tells me he's not going to believe you. Nobody in town would believe you!"

She gripped the pole hard and swung back and forth.

"Why I got to go."

"Go?" Maureen raised her eyes.

"I did think maybe I should stay. It would be thrilling if everybody thinks that I'm deaf and I'm not. The things I could learn!"

She pondered silently.

"I think it would get really boring after the first week. So, yeah. I'm leaving Wild Cove."

"With Jack?"

Leah rolled her eyes. "Not that it's any of your business... why do you ask? Are you a scorned lover or something?"

"I'd rather have hot nails driven into my eyes."

Furious, Leah got off the horse and took a seat next to Maureen.

"I know people, better than you think I do. I learned it by being deaf. By visual perception. Especially the eyes; Father Coleman lied to me, which mean you are lying to me, now. You two never knew each other in the past! The sad thing is, I was totally honest with him... about Jack... and he... just lies to my face!"

The carousel ride began to slow, and then came to a stop. Leah jumped up, shaking now.

"I'm supposed to believe you. How stupid do you think I am!?"

Others began to board, as Leah dutifully pulled out her stupid notepad. She began to scribble out a most nasty sentiment but changed her mind and got off the ride. Then she got back on, staring down Maureen, who remained behind.

"What were you hoping to find on my hands, Maureen!?"

"The same thing found on the hands of the dead town council that Jack killed."

xxx

THAT EVENING

Though disturbed from her conversation with Maureen, Leah went to the port anyway, and made her way on board the Phantom. She looked at the time on her phone. It was now 11:00 p.m. she did not have much on her person, just one book on Greek mythology, one music theory book and her phone. Her father was on night shift again and she was "safe at home" with the traditional bed-made-to-look-like-somebody-was-inside-it. She went over a million ways how she could remain behind and hear as well. She had no answers; If she stayed here in Wild Cove, she would have to stay deaf.

She felt destiny biting at her pant leg, like a little Chihuahua mistaking her for a T-bone steak. She felt something inside her... almost like a 'someone', like another presence trying to reach her consciousness.

And she needed to know.

Her attention was out at sea, as she watched carefully for the approach of the heavy fog. Already the moisture was beginning to set in, making her hair stick to the back of her neck.

"Leah, you came! I'm so glad!"

"Before midnight," she called over her shoulder. A nervous tension began to take hold, like she was being slowly wrapped in an ice freezing gauze, starting at her feet, and working its way upward.

Something shifted. Something had gone horribly wrong. The earlier feeling of liberation was now being replaced by a mounting sense of dread.

He came up behind her. "Captain's quarters. He pointed "I have something to show you. You want an apple?"

"Uh... no... not that hungry."

She didn't want to, but she felt compelled to, and followed him down the stairs.

She found him sitting at the captain's table.

"You met Maureen."

She noticed he did not look happy or sad but determined.

"We… talked… don't worry, no one will believe her."

"They won't… so… what did she tell you about me?"

Leah remained silent. Maureen's words were getting to her.

Jack grinned knowingly. "More shall be revealed, won't it?"

He pulled back his hands from the table, revealing her Greek mythology book.

"Take it!" Jack insisted.

"I... have one."

"No, you don't. Look!"

As she looked in her now-empty bag he opened the book and turned it to chapter 3. It started with the letter C, in black, stylized with a gold trim.

"I've been trying to go slow. That thing about old souls? I'm trying to ease you into it.”

Leah zipped up the empty bag. The icy cold had now made its way up to her chest. She got up fast. This was too much. Maybe Maureen was right; maybe she needed to get far away from Jack!

"I have to go. Keep the book."

He got up as well and grabbed her hand.

"Ahh... I hope I do not regret this... first thing you need to know... I won't hurt you... "

_Where the hell am I? What the hell happened? Oh my God there was a massacre!_

_There was no screaming at all. Just a few gasps of shock here and there. Didn't any of them even know what had happened?_

_A heel broke, out on the dance floor, and she bent over to pull off the annoying foot appendage. There was a whistling noise about her head, and while still wrestling with the loathsome footwear, things begin to fall on her. One by one. Soft objects, hard objects. She looked over to the left and saw a dismembered leg. Over to the right she saw a dismembered torso. Off balance as she was, the weight of the bodies around her, pushed her to the dance floor, and she found herself being overwhelmed by a wet, warm liquid._

_Dead people! I've been buried in dead people!_

_Horror began to overwhelm her, and she bit into her tongue to keep herself from screaming._

_Well, maybe that screaming she heard in the distance would have to substitute for her own? It took several minutes before she felt safe enough to crawl out from the carnage. She was not out of danger. Somewhere to the left, or was it to the right, there was a thunderous boom, and something hit her in the side, knocking her off her feet and sending her flying backwards._

_Her body bounced off a metal pipe, and once again she was hurtling towards the deck._

_It was supposed to be a pleasure cruise! It was supposed to be a nice semester abroad, away from the toils and trials of teaching Greek mythology to high schoolers. Now here she was, on what had become a sleigh ride through hell. She was covered in blood and guts from at least 30 people, and now someone had shot her!_

_**"Dead men tell no tales, fair maiden! For that matter, neither do pretty little schoolteachers who are too immersed in their work to find themselves a man, maybe settle down in some suburban hell. Honestly, how could you resist a life like that?"** _

_As she slowly began to regain consciousness, she found that her feet had been bound together with rope, and she was being dragged through the hall by a tall skinny man in a black and white formal wear tux._

_It was Jack Ferriman, the young man they had rescued from the sinking ocean liner, called the Lorelai._

_When the Antonio Garza found him. they pulled him out of the icy waters that were soon to claim him. It just got better when they found an entire cache of gold in three crates as well. He had spent little time in the ship's infirmary before he was up and about and spending a lot of time with the lounge singer Francesca. Bella thought that was strange. The two of them didn't speak the same language and Jack seemed to have two left feet in everything he did. Outwardly he seemed so shy, and insecure, especially in the presence of somebody as ravishingly beautiful as Francesca. But they remained close during those few short days he was aboard, and Francesca seemed to take him under her wing as a mother hen would do to a baby chick._

_But Francesca was gone now, along with all the rest. She was just one of hundreds of bodies strewn throughout the ship, most having gone crazy over the idea of wealth and riches all that gold would bring. They turned on each other, it was like a mafia hit._

_**"What's... in a name... it's in your name... You are the ferry man!"** _

_On the bow, under a night sky glistening with stars, Jack put a hand under her neck and raised her into a sitting position._

_**"Bella, right? You're pretty!"** _

_**"Charon the ferry man... he takes people across the river Styx, into the afterlife. His payment is in gold."** _

_He seemed amused by that._ **_"That's really deep, Bella."_ **

_The rope once binding her feet, he was now winding around her body, pulling her arms tightly into her lap. Jack pushed and pulled, grunting, and groaning until she sat in a very balanced yet precarious position, straddling the rail, and looking over the edge she could see the icy cold water of the Bering Strait below._

_**"You're heavier than you look Bella! Okay don't go anywhere I'll be right back!"** _

_She was in too much pain to fight back, and the warm blood was drying, and encasing her in a sticky paste._

_Jack returned, carrying a cinder block_ **_. "Sorry that took so long. Really. I have a job to do and I try to expedite the process."_ **

_**"Expedite... so it's true?"** _

_She looked around carefully, she understood her fate was sealed and that she would die tonight._

_**"The authorities will come looking. They'll want to know what happened to the ship!"** _

_He's straightened up, admiring the handiwork of the rope carefully wound into the cinder block._

_**"That should work.”** _ _He knelt beside her and stroked her hair._ **_"I'm sorry, Bella, I can't have any witnesses. Beautiful as you are, no matter how much I want you, you will not be spared. But to answer your question, the ship stays. Here. In the Strait. It will make collections more expedient. I can just leave the gold on the ship, lure people out here... lead them to sin and collect their greedy souls... In perpetuity."_ **

_He grabbed up her bound legs, and the pain shot through her, making her cry out._

_**"The best of sins is rooted in greed, and it won't be hard to lure them in... Bella be quiet! Drowning is not as painful as you think it will be."** _

_**"How... how many souls do you need** _ _?" she whispered. He pivoted her around and held her in place by her shoulders._

_**"Humm... good question! It is a big boat. I think my work has just begun."** _

_With most of the work out of the way he rested his head on her shoulder, sighing sadly._

_**"You can close your eyes if you want."** _

_And with one hard shove, she went sailing through the air, faster and faster downward, until she hit the water, and the cinder block dragged her underneath._

Leah was shattered by the memories.

"Charon!" She whispered.

Jack snorted and maneuvered her back into the chair. "I've been called worse."

He sat on the edge of the table and twirled the apple on his fingers.

"I got it... after your childish outburst. I knew that 'thing', Leah... that feeling that landing on your shore would produce results... I was sure to find some greedy souls to take the gold and commit sin in the process, therefore damning their souls... and that other thing... a long-standing question I had, whether old souls I have known might come back to me. I should have gone after you then. Back on the Graza, I was unable to mark you while you were alive. But I meant what I said, It was nothing personal. I just had to keep the operations running smoothly. It went very well for a number of years... until she came along!"

Leah looked straight ahead, tears were running down her face, her heart heavy with grief for her unfortunate previous self.

"S... she?"

"Maureen!"

Leah felt sick. "She tried to warn me."

"And Katie warned her. You know I might have kept that kid with me. I didn't know until later that one of the boys did her in early. They in turn did each other in; at the end of the night I was left with Francesca. Stupid woman. She thought I loved her!"

Stupid, just like me, obviously, Leah figured.

She edged further from him. He seemed amused by that.

"The… Fran that didn't speak any English... what happened to gold digging slut Fran? Maureen... said you... "

"The town council, yeh. Technically I did not lift a finger against them. Their greed did them in! I marked them, their souls belong to me, and they will be delivered promptly to the gates of... hey where are you going!?"

Leah ran from the cabin, fleeing back up the stairs. Top side, she found that they were far away from the port, and the fog was rolling over the schooner.

"If I wanted to, I would have done it by now. Leah, I told you I'm not going to hurt you!"

Growling in anger, he went after her, lamenting the fact that women were too complicated.

He found her on the bow, she was looking down at the water, apparently ready to throw herself overboard.

"Well, that's just typical! Right on the heels of the big reveal, in which the fair maiden discovers the truth about her previous life, that she died by drowning. Now she does it all over again. There's fate, for you!"

Then more quietly, almost begging.

"There are other options, Leah."

He approached her very slowly, holding out his hand.

"Stay away from me, Jack! I'd rather be dead than stuck with you forever!"

He just smiled, held up his hand.

"You want an apple?"

Leah glared at him.

"Because that turned out so well the first time!"

Jack rolled his eyes and sat beside her. "Oh, for fuck's sake! It never said it was an apple! It said _fruit_! Adam and his woman could have been chowing down on a watermelon for all we know!"

He bit into the apple and chewed thoughtfully.

"Maybe it was even a strawberry that led them to commit sin! Ever think of that?"

"Those things don't grow on trees! They grow on... on... "

Her voice drifted off as she was distracted by the pile of strawberries that suddenly materialized in her lap.

"You're right! I stand corrected, then! Sure you're not hungry? I know you haven't eaten much since taking my very generous gift."

"You wouldn't know that!" she insisted, as she poked at the berries to see if they were just an illusion.

"Fair maiden, I am always watching!"

"Aaag!" she cried out, as the vines morphed into seaworms and tiny crabs, swarming over her hands, arms and into her clothes.

"Shit!" she yelped as Jack howled with laughter. She got to her knees, then to her feet frantically brushing the wretched creatures away. She lurched away from him, tripping over some crates, then got back to her feet.

"Sadistic bastard! Where are you?!"

He was gone. Thankfully, so were the worms and crabs. The disgust remained, settling deep in her stomach like ice.

 _Talk to me!_ she begged the essence inside of her. _BelIa?! I need help! Bitch, he murdered you! Maybe together we can stop him, but YOU HAVE TO TALK TO ME!_

"Jack?! CHARON!"

Out of the fog, two arms grabbed her, and she found herself in Jacks embrace.

"Don't call me that. I'm Jack Ferriman. I've always been Jack Ferriman. Like you have always been... Bella... damn! What was your last name anyway?"

He pulled her even closer, his hand around her neck, his mouth leaning into hers.

"No!" she shoved up her arms, blocking his chest from contacting hers, keeping his lips from closing in.

Now he looked sad, but she knew it was an act.

"I'll take your eyes out!" she warned.

"Ok, alright," he pulled back then, but still gripped her hands firmly.

"Look, I meant what I said. I do not want to hurt you... I want to offer you a deal."

"Because that's gonna work so well after you tried to rape me!"

"Wrong again! I hated Francesca, but she was a good lay. Gold digging bitch Fran, notable only for her greed. You, I liked! But you were just a passenger. I needed someone on the inside to help me get the job done. Like I said, it wasn't personal!"

"Mass murder never is!"

His movement was quick, and his lips were on hers. He pulled back just as fast, sighing happily.

"Good enough, I guess! Come work for Management, Leah. They show great interest in you, and there are many positions available. They will leave you with your hearing, as well as your speech. It's everything you ever wanted Leah. You'd be a fool to turn down this great opportunity."

Fighting down the urge to vomit, she croaked out, "Help you... collect more souls... where would it stop? After my dad? Jenna?"

She shook her head.

"Not interested."

Then she looked to the side, sensing the approach of something in the fog, also sensing that something else was winding its way around her feet.

He frowned, not sad now, the look in his eyes was one of rage.

"That's too bad. Does history repeat?"

He held up a rope, waved it in her face. Suddenly she was pulled back, off her feet and onto her back. Her head thudded on the deck, leaving her dazed and woozy. The only thing keeping her awake, was his hand, gripping hers, so tightly she knew he could break it.

“Jack… what are you… Jack, please stop it!” she begged.

~to be continued~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Big Climax

"Please, stop! she hissed.

"Dammit!" he shook her arm, his fingers pressing hard into her palm. "Why can't I… hey, don't you pass out on me. I have plans for you, Leah!"

She almost did, but the physical assault was enough to keep her from losing consciousness, instead rousing her to a fully alert state.

"That's my girl!" Jack put a hand under her neck, pulled her up and brushed her hair from her eyes. Then he patted her face. "Wake up, Leah!"

He got her into a sitting position, then leaned her against the fore boom.

"Ok, last chance! Hey, what about Apollo... as your job... the god of music. Come on, Leah! You love music! No, wait! You could be a siren!"

Was he being serious? She spat at him. "Go to hell, Jack Ferriman!"

He wiped his face casually.

"Bitch!"

Then, he too, noticed something was coming, and looked in the direction she was drawn to.

"Fuck!"

He pulled hard at the rope binding her feet, and with superhuman strength, tore them loose. Taking her arm, he dragged her to her feet, roughly pulling her to him, and made his way to the other side of the schooner.

"Come with me, fair maiden! We have to roll out the red carpet for our uninvited guests!"

As she was pulled along, something like a breeze picked up her hair, blowing it back in her face.

He released her and pushed her forward, slamming her up against the side of the schooner. She looked down in the water.

"Tell me what you see!"

She rubbed at her now-sore rib cage as she peered out, trying to see through the fog. In the distance she heard a motorboat, and then she saw a dim light approaching the schooner, but she said nothing.

"Well!?" he demanded

The wind picked up her hair again and she furiously brushed at her face.

"Not yet," Jack said in an annoyed tone. "Leah? Tell me what you see!"

 _Please, please, please help me!_ She begged inwardly.

Bella was there, Leah knew it! from the minute she stepped onto the Phantom tonight, her presence was extraordinarily strong, and equally as silent.

Of all the ghosts in the world who would want to destroy Jack Ferriman, it must be her... right?

_You can use my body... I can hear, I can even talk... Help me, so we can end this!_

"Never mind!" Jack griped, then he pushed her to the side, opened a long chest built into the side of the ship. He pulled out and unwrapped a very heavy rope ladder. "Help me out Leah!"

Leah just stood there, and Jack glared at her.

"They have to be able to get on board!"

All right, maybe she was an idiot, though she might have done well to pay attention to her first instinct. The wind continued to tug at her hair, like thin fingers, as she helped Jack secure the rope ladder to the phantom. Then he placed it on the edge carefully. He began to unroll it slowly, but then violently pushed it over the side.

"LOOK OUT!" Leah screamed as the rest of the rope leather crushed down into the motorboat. A new wave of nausea and fear struck her as she saw Father Coleman, quickly yank Maureen Epps out of the way.

It was her fault alone, that this happened. She was full of sin, unwilling to let go of her hearing, and now she would be responsible for the deaths of two people.

“That was cool!” Jack exclaimed.

The wind tugged harder at her hair, and there was a sensation of fingers digging into her neck.

"Fine. You are the babysitter!" Leah was confused. What did he mean by that? And with that Jack dragged her off to the forecastle deck and set her down roughly.

With a wry grin He looked to her side and smiled. "This is between me and Maureen. But she will be company for you! I bet you have a lot to talk about!"

The tugging continued. The fingers running through her hair and pulling at her clothes.

With dread, she looked over to see who was inflicting the latest assault.

Fran! She whispered in terror.

Meanwhile, in the motorboat, Father Coleman released Maureen.

"A thousand apologies. That rope ladder almost hit you."

"Yeah," she looked herself over, then looked him over "I think he meant that."

High above, Jack leaned over the side, his eyes filled with fury.

"Get up here Maureen!"

"Demon," Father Coleman whispered at her. She nodded.

"Mr. Ferriman!" He called up in as friendly a voice as he could muster. I'll be coming up first... I wouldn't want the ladder to fall down while the-"

" _NOW!_ " Jack roared in anger

As the two begin to mount the ladder, Jack turned away from them to see that Leah had climbed up the forecastle mast, trying to stay out of the reach of the ghost of Fran, the biggest gold-digging slut in life, and in death.

"Hey, Leah! Do you think Fran is jealous?" He laughed.

"Jack!"

Maureen stepped onto the deck, glaring at him harshly.

"Wow. You look old, Maureen! How long has it been now? 3 years? 10? You look 10 years older."

She looked around carefully, dared not approach him, but kept him in full sight from head to toe.

"Schooners Jack? Your boss demoted you to schooners?"

"It's a job Maureen! I reel them in as they come, by whatever resources available to me!"

"Leah!" Father Coleman whispered, noticing her high up on the mast.

"Jack, your obsession with little girls is sick!" Maureen bit out.

"Damn I was really hoping that would go better! The last thing I need is two women on my ship, fighting. That just won't do."

Without warning, the top sail swung down, striking Leah in the side and knocking her from the mast.

"No!" Father Coleman shouted and rushed forward. Leah screamed loud all the way down, only to find herself caught in Jack's waiting arms.

"There now! I told you I wouldn't hurt you."

"Tell that to my cracked rib, asshole!" She snapped as she struggled to get out of his grip.

He could only giggle as she tried to get out of his arms.

"I think I'll get rid of Fran. Clearly you are the better prize. "

Then he set her down on the deck and pushed her to her knees.

Father Coleman held up his hands. "Look. Sir, please... All we want is Leah... " he put his hands on his hips "we understand... we respect that you are a formidable opponent... and maybe this is nature's order of things... collecting the souls of the sinful... but all we want is Leah. Give us Leah and we'll be on our way,” Coleman begged

Jack appeared to be in deep thought for about 2 seconds.

"No deal."

He knelt beside the frightened 16-year-old and put an arm over her shoulder reaching around two places hand on her other shoulder.

"I like her. She's grown on me... lots of potential!"

"Well, since I'm the prize here... What can I do to get you to leave them alone?" Leah asked.

"I don't know! why don't you ask somebody with a soul of their own?"

Leah closed her eyes, trying to will away the tears from falling. Of all the things that had happened tonight, this was the most disturbing. She found herself wondering if there were more plusses to not hearing than she previously thought. She pulled away from him again, scrambled back up to the Fore Castle deck and climbed out onto the bowsprit.

Jack shook his head. "She seems to be on the fence about the whole thing. This might become a one-sided conversation before too long... You okay with that Leah?!

Below their feet the ship begin to shudder, then a long scraping noise from below the water.

The Phantom kept drifting, with no one guiding it, the schooner steadily made its way to the rocky cove below the lighthouse.

"Oh... fuck!" Jack moaned, running to get the Phantom back under control and away from the rocks.

It was too late. The phantom crashed then, with Jack struggling with the wheel, and it plowed into the rocks below the lighthouse. On the bowsprit, Leah screamed out before it broke off, sending her down to the rocks below, the mast broken in half, the sails fluttering, downward, and covering the crags in white.

_Bella plunged downward, the rope squeezing her flesh, cutting into her skin. As she hit the water and sank below the waves her skin seemed to catch on fire._

_Her body instinctively kicked and writhed against the cinder block weight, and the black water surrounding her seemed to turn white. The pressure on her body, on the outside and on the inside begin to increase rapidly. The burning of her flesh was gone now and was replaced by extreme cold, a cold like nothing she had ever felt, and the pressure was unbelievable, Finally, thankfully, she lost consciousness._

But the sea vomited her back up, and her eyes opened wide.

"I... am... not dead yet... "

She was covered in something, wet and heavy. She began to flail about, pulling at the heavy weight over her body. Her skin began to burn again; every part of her was in pain. She tried screaming but could not get a word out.

There was someone above her, pulling away the wet shroud that covered her.

With the covering now removed, Bella was staring up into the face of an older woman with curly black hair. she tried to scream again, her mouth forming unintelligible words, then she rolled over and began throwing up salt water.

Once completely purged, she lifted her head.

"Help me!"

But the woman was slowly backing away.

Bella got to her knees as best she could, as memories of the past and the present surfaced in her mind.

"I know what you're thinking... but it's not what you're thinking... I need your help!"

The woman remained at a distance, staring at her partly in anger and partly in confusion.

"Maureen... " Bella asked in a quiet tone, reaching out her hand, noticing the bloody cuts on her flesh where the rope dug in hard.

"I don't know how long I have... "

"MAUREEN!" A voice cried out from the wrecked schooner. It was a voice full of rage. It was the voice of Jack Ferriman.

"Fine, stay here! But I will not let him drown me again!"

"WHERE ARE YOU, MAUREEN!? DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY FROM ME AGAIN!"

"Wait!" Maureen called out and went after her, into the hold of the phantom, now crashed and piled up on the rocky shore.

"Hey... I think I'm hurt!"

"Father Coleman?"

Heavy footsteps pounded on the deck above, as Jack continued to search for her.

"Don't move. He doesn't want you," Maureen warned.

"He wants Leah!"

"I'll get her back," Maureen promised.

"Not unless you pay for it!" Jack's voice sounded. The footsteps stopped right above her.

"Damn it, woman! Your interference wrecked my boat for the second time! That is it! I'm through playing games with you Maureen… so here is my final offer; you get the fuck off my boat and walk away with your life, but I'm keeping Leah. Or you can settle for what is behind door number two; you don't get the fuck off my boat, and I kill Leah while you watch... Either way, you should know you're guilty of sin and that means you belong to me."

Maureen said nothing, motioned at Father Coleman to keep quiet and still. Then she went off again in the direction that the unknown young woman had gone.

She found her sitting on the steps leading up to the deck. A shaking hand rested on the rail, and she was panting.

"Make your choice, Maureen. I'm running out of patience!"

"I can distract him, the woman said softly, tiredly "do you have a plan?"

Maureen shook her head.

"You're a ghost," Maureen remarked.

"Not really... I'm just borrowing... but he did like me... at least he said he did, so I think... that can be used against him."

"Do you have a name?"

The woman smiled big, closed her eyes, and opened them.

"Bella."

"The clock is ticking, Maureen! Come up here and bring the priest with you!" Jacks voice came again and sounding inhuman.

Bella attempted to move again, grabbed her side, and moaned in pain. "We have to hurry."

"I don't think he knows you're here, Bella."

She nodded. "I think you're right... _Jack! Can you hear me_!?"

There was no reply.

"Maureen! Don't say anything! You remember a mural? It was in the pool room! Ugly hairy guy, and he was herding people into a boat!?"

The lone survivor of Jack Ferriman's last reign of terror shook her head

"Captain's cabin. Greek Mythology book. He's under 'C'.'"

I DONT KNOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, Maureen mouthed.

"What's in a name, Maureen? It's in his name!"

And by sheer force of will, with every movement bringing on such pain that she was forced to bite down on her tongue to keep from screaming out loud, Bella continued up the steps and moved out of Maureen's sight.

Without benefit of a reason why, but with no solid answers as to how to defeat Jack Ferriman once and for all, Maureen made her way to the captain's cabin.

Although shelves were in disarray, and the table overturned from the crash, the book titled Greek mythology A to Z dictionary was in plain sight.

She picked it up and was greeted with writing in a sharpie marker:

PROPERTY OF LEAH KIMBALL. TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF MY BOOK.

That made her sad. She could only hope the kid had gotten far away.

She turned the pages again, until she got to the letter C.

 _"Do my world-weary eyes deceive me! Is that you, Bella_?"

Maureen's hand stopped over the page, and she remained very still. She was almost afraid to breathe for a fear that he might hear her... but he seemed occupied.

" _You wanted me back... I came back."_

"What's in a name? What the fuck am I looking for?" Maureen tried to think again, extremely hard, so hard sweat formed on her brow.

 _It's in his name_.

Maureen was pissed. Bella certainly had a way of making things as cryptic as possible!

"Stranger things have happened, Bella... even to me.”

“I don't believe it!” Maureen whispered as her finger landed at Charon.

**A psychopomp, the ferryman of Hades, who carries souls of the newly deceased across the river Styx, with gold to pay for the passage and if the soul could not pay they would be forced to wander the shores for 100 years.**

"Ferryman... Ferriman... Fuck me!"

She was shocked to the point of almost dropping the book, until Bella's voice came again.

" _I'm cold, Jack_."

Maureen recovered, clutched the book to her chest, determined to return it to Leah, if she ever saw her again.

"Liar, manipulator, mass murderer... And now book thief... Well, shut my mouth It really does take all kinds, doesn't it!"

Quietly and carefully she made her way back up the stairs, and out onto the deck.

Near the broken bow of the ship, Maureen saw Jack, holding Bella tight in his arms and she was struggling to get away.

"Let her go, Jack!"

He turned and looked and just smiled.

"You're next!"

He then turned back to his captive.

"Did you think I wouldn't know!?" he growled.

He grabbed her head with both hands, covered her ears, and she crumpled in his grip.

"Open your eyes!" he ordered the terrified woman.

"There. Good," he shook her roughly "take a good hard look, because I want this to be the last face you see, and the last voice you hear!"

"Stop it... Jack, she didn't do anything!"

He whirled around, his arm around her throat, and Bella was dragged along helplessly. Her eyes fluttered and she was on the verge of passing out.

There was a tiny flash of light near Jacks free hand. Maureen recognized it to be a knife.

"No!" she cried out, rushing forward.

He plunged the knife downward. Maureen desperately tried to shove the blade away, but Jack's momentum was still enough to slam the knife into Bella's side.

He stood there, grinning at her evilly. With his hand still wrapped around her throat, He brutally threw her to the side, where she slammed into the side of the boat and immediately curled into a ball. She was weeping.

"You son of a bitch!" Maureen cried out, shoved him backwards then wrenched the knife from his grasp.

"Fucking little- _oooow, goddammit_!" Jack cried out, staggered back a few steps nearly falling over but righted himself. He looked down at the knife sticking out of his chest.

"I can't believe I was actually thinking of asking you out on a date!"

With one hand he pulled the knife clean free. There was a small squirt of blood but that was all. He did make a firm commitment to himself then and there, never ever again to involve women in getting the job done. They were just too much trouble!

He looked over the blade and wiped it clean.

"That is coming right out of your ass Maureen!"

But he didn't even have a chance to look at her before he was slammed hard in the face with Leah's book,

"Oh what the… YOU JUST BROKE MY NOSE!"

With him distracted again, Maureen bent down, then burst forward, like a football player, her head contacting his stomach, and sending him lurching backwards for several feet.

The Phantom, already disabled, and shattered near the bow, was under more pressure than it could take. It shifted again, tilting hard to the starboard side,

Maureen felt the gravity take hold, then tried to right herself. She barely made it, having been saved, ironically enough, by grabbing onto the rope ladder Jack tried to hit her with earlier. He was not as fortunate, continued falling backward, toward the bow. His feet slipped out from under him, making him airborne for a moment before falling back down, impaling himself on the broken mast.

Maureen was breathing hard and crying. He was unconscious but she knew he wasn't dead. She looked around for the book. Maybe there was something in there about the ferryman having a weakness, an enemy that could defeat him?

"Maureen! Quickly! I have an idea!"

It was Father Coleman and he was rushing forward with a rope.

"We must be fast!"

And together they fashioned the rope securely around one of the crates of gold. With each brick weighing 25 lb each, coupled with the pounds of the crate itself, It should be enough to sink him.

After that, Father Coleman stood up.

"You do the honors. I must see to my charge."

He moved off again, and Maureen wrapped the rope around Jack, tying it securely to his waist. She also noticed a cinder block nearby and for added security, fastened that to him as well.

After that it didn't take too long. She had to remove some bars, but got herself, the crate, the cinder block, and Jack into the motorboat. She went out as far as she could, before pushing all three overboard.

There was just a moment where she thought his eyes had opened and looked directly at her, before his body sank under the water.

She only took another thought for 5 minutes, waiting for him to return. He didn't. She took the motorboat back to the Phantom, horrified to find that most of it was underwater.

"I'm over here!" Father Coleman shouted "quickly, make haste!"

"Bella?" She wondered as Father Coleman carried the figure in one of the sails.

"My charge," He panted.

She was confused until the cloth fell away to reveal Leah's face. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be asleep. There was a bloody wound in her side.

"She's still alive… But I think medical attention could be helpful."

"Yeah... " Maureen was more confused than ever but helped Father Coleman get her into the boat.

DAWN

Father Coleman just watched, as Maureen stared out to sea. He now fully understood, the sacrifices she had made, and he was forever grateful.

"Thank you for telling me what happened in the park. Thank you for coming... I cannot thank you enough. I owe you a debt that can never be repaid," was the only thing he could think of saying, and even doing that, his voice choked up.

She looked back at him, her eyes expressionless.

"Maybe you should thank yourself, for not mentioning her name in your email... otherwise I wouldn't have bothered."

"It is what it is," Father Coleman agreed. "regardless of that fact, I must give credit where it is due. Leah would have been lost forever had it not been for your coming here."

"It's not good enough... it could never replace what Jack Ferriman took from me."

She lowered her eyes.

"I'm trying," she apologized as she looked back out at the water.

"No sign of him?"

"No... but I don't think he's dead."

There was silence for another few seconds.

Father Coleman turned away and watched as the paramedics got ready to take Leah to the hospital.

"I hate ambulances almost as much as I hate boats," Maureen remarked.

Father Coleman moved quickly to the ambulance, glad that Maureen had decided to join him. "All boats are not created equal, Ms Epps! But I think I definitely hate schooners."

"Ocean liners," Maureen insisted.

Leah was in moderate pain but handled it well as they loaded her onto the stretcher but once she saw Father Coleman and Maureen she burst into tears.

She began to sign to him frantically.

"Sorry. Didn't know. Just wanted to hear," Father Coleman said out loud.

Maureen wanted to rip into her, for her teenage rebelliousness, her selfishness, which had almost resulted in the three of them getting killed. She tried looking inwardly for the anger to justify such an act, but had a hard time finding the nerve for someone so obviously broken by what had happened. She motioned to Father Coleman to interpret.

"You didn't know," she relented. "he's a master manipulator. He fooled me too. Maybe I should have known... The clues were all around me but... "

She didn't know what else to say and just held something in her hands.

"I found your book in the water."

Leah touched it, then pushed it back toward her.

"Fed up with Greek mythology. You should keep it."

"Thank you," Maureen stared at the book "who was that woman? Bella?"

Leah's hands hovered in the air, her face tight with pain.

"Jack killed her" Father Coleman spoke "she was the last. He tied a cinder block to her feet and pushed her overboard."

Leah grimaced through the painful memories now part of her forever.

"Empsykhoun," Leah spelled out slowly, as the priest translated the difficult word.

Maureen was confused. "I don't know what that means."

"Means Reincarnation. She was a schoolteacher."

Leah stared at Maureen as Father Coleman got teary-eyed.

"She taught greek mythology. She was my connection to Jack and that's why I could only hear him. I told her to use me, if it would help."

The paramedic was able to finish up getting her ready for the trip the hospital. He did a pretty good job ignoring the conversation of the three come up but when he couldn't, he wished he had.

"Time to go," he said.

"Leah," Maureen put a hand on her shoulder, "if you hear his voice again would you be willing to tell Father Coleman?"

Leah was still for just a moment. "Yes," she signed before her head dropped back onto the stretcher and she closed her eyes.

Maureen stepped back as Father Coleman got inside the ambulance and waited until the doors were closed before she went back to looking out at the water... for any sign that Jack would return.

~the end?~


End file.
